Book Club Book Suggestions For 2016

If you're a member of a book club, the beginning of the year often means deciding on at least the first few books you'll be tackling, if not the entire 12 months.

Every book club is different — we in no way mean to indicate otherwise — but there are some commonalities you can find when trying to come up with a great tome. It has to be worthy of discussion, first of all, with at least one topic on which people can form opinions. It helps if the book has a great plot you can dissect with your pals, but non-fiction books can work as well, especially if they end up allowing for new angles on the main subject to arise.

But contrary to popular belief, it does not need to be a "good" book. In fact, many members of book clubs report some of their best meetings have come out of books most people hated, since it generated so much conversation and surprising twists.

Take a look at some of our picks for recently published books we think would make for great book club selections. What has your group read lately that you'd recommend?

Author: Marilynne Robinson
Genre: Essays about faith
Discussion topics for book club: Religion (always interesting, but be careful with this one), spirituality, the role of each in modern life

Author: Elizabeth Strout
Genre: Fiction
Discussion topics for book club: Mother-daughter relationships, parental/familial expectations, the things we observe about the ones we love
Online book club guide: Here.

Author: Celeste Ng
Genre: Fiction; murder mystery
Discussion topics for book club: What it is that bonds families together, and what can drive them apart, sibling dynamics, and how culture influences our behaviour
Online book club guide: Here.

Author: Toni Morrison
Genre: Fiction, with fairy tale elements
Discussion topics for book club: The construct of race, the nature of friendships, sexual abuse
Online book club guide: Here.

Author: Christopher Hitchens
Genre: Collected essays
Discussion topics for book club: The list could go on and on. Hitchens' thoughts on life cover everything from politics to health.

Author: Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA fiction
Discussion topics for book club: Allergies (no really, it's a discussion that can get heated), what is true love, what is young love

Author: Gretchen Rubin
Genre: Advice; self-help; organization
Discussion topics for book club: What makes a habit? Is it possible for people to change? Does this method work for you at all?

Author: Anna North
Genre: Fiction; art
Discussion topics for book club: When does art stop being art and become intrusive? Where do privacy rights begin and end? What is an artist in this day and age, anyway?
Online book club guide: Here.

Author: Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Genre: Memoir
Discussion topics for book club: What it means to be aboriginal, what we need to do in order to safeguard culture, climate change

Author: Terrence Holt
Genre: Short stories; medicine
Discussion topics for book club: Right to die laws, preventative vs. proactive healthcare, what is the role of the doctor, physically and emotionally, in 2016?